Nicosia, Cyprus. Stand-up comedy in Cyprus has grown from being nearly nonexistent a decade ago into a small, informal scene featuring performances in Greek, Cypriot Greek and English, with international comedians also appearing on the island. Actor and comedian Yorgos Kyriakou recently toured Cyprus with a bilingual version of his act, a first for local audiences accustomed to single-language performances.
A developing local scene
Kyriakou is the founder of Stantar Kkomety, a local comedy collective that runs open mic nights, podcasts, curated showcases, festivals and themed shows. He spearheaded a tour of Cyprus with his “Yorkos the Comically Cypriot” act in Cypriot Greek and English at the beginning of the year.
Stand-up on the island remains young and tight-knit, with Kyriakou estimating there are about a dozen local personas able to carry a solo show. He said social media, Netflix comedy specials and the Covid-19 period contributed to increased awareness of local comedians, while emphasising the importance of live performance.
Kyriakou’s background and approach
Kyriakou studied drama and completed a master’s degree on teaching and coaching actors at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Since 2011, he has acted locally in television and theatre. He said acting is his first craft and profession.
Originally from Limassol, Kyriakou said he began applying acting tools to analyse and break down stand-up comedy in 2017. He described his early involvement as part of broader efforts to establish the local stand-up scene, including festivals and workshops, and said he later collaborated with other comedians as collective projects expanded.
He said he devoted significant effort to building the collective and producing a comedy podcast that featured many local comics, but that focus later diminished as he returned to concentrating more on his solo career.
Language, representation and performance challenges
Kyriakou said producing a show in English presented challenges compared with Cypriot Greek, where he said he has more material to refine. He said he developed some English-language material during the tour and drew on previous performances, including participation in a show in the north called Peace Talks, which he said helped him incorporate more political humour in English and tailor jokes to Cypriot politics.
He said he aims to structure his solo shows around a connected theme and is strict with himself about relying on prepared material, despite appreciating crowd work.
Kyriakou also said the local stand-up scene is predominantly male, though women are appearing more frequently in opening acts. He said women face additional hurdles and that women’s voices would add a different perspective.
Stand-up as a social experiment
Kyriakou described stand-up comedy as a social experiment, saying it appears as a business transaction but involves observing audience reactions and building on them in a shared interaction.
What changes would you like to see in Cyprus’ stand-up comedy scene in the coming years?